I knew a guy that put a '62 Buick Fireball 198 CI V6 in his '71 Vega that was pretty fast. As I recall, he tore up a few stock Vega rear ends in spectacular fashion before going to a Ford 8" axle out of an old Mustang. I think after that he started going through transmissions...
Amazing! I never saw anything like that in Salem, Oregon in the 70's. Raced a Chevelle at the light in my Moms Ford Custom 500, and the Chevelle dumped the clutch, and I scooted away. Good old nights on the gut.
Owned a Dodge 440 Super Bee.... 2 engines later (440/383) and a 1 Trans, I decided the 318 was the most dependable and least costly to replace. That car had room, date night backseat room ☺
I'm a bike guy really and while a classic bike might be cool the modern stuff is so much more enticing while still having character I'd never go back. Cars are different although the science is the same - newer is "better" but many seem sterile. For all that I'd still rather a newish one than oldie for a daily driver.
Yeah, for a while my daily driver around '69-'70 was a '57 Chevy ragtop with a big block that could lift the front tires shifting 2nd gear. Gas mileage sucked, of course. Didn't look hot, but the idle that had the car rocking side to side gave it away. Parked it was a real sleeper. Once it fired, though, the competition had lots of excuses why they had to back out. My mother occasionally borrowed it for dating in my last year of high school!
My older brother always subscribed to Hot Rod magazine-like from about 14 years old until well into his 60s. One hot summer the mag ran a story about a Metropolitan with a 409 Chevy engine shoe horned into the small engine compartment; at the time the 409 was one of the largest displacement engines around. It was like trying to get an elephant into a wheel barrow, but the California guy behind the project knew how to do the radical surgery to the poor little Metro. Didn't see any reports on how the beast ran or handled but would guess on a hard stomp it would quickly go sideways and then start cartwheeling for the next 400 yards until there was nothing left larger than a grapefruit. That kind of set the stage for my love of cars, though I never did a build as crazy as that one.
Later and after his divorce big brother later had a Vega with the problematic aluminum engine and before it seized up it got pretty good gas mileage, especially since he was commuting about 50 miles one way to work. Then he got a Barracuda and enjoyed his commutes a lot more, though the ride was kind of stiff. That car had an iconic look that helped define the times. We lived in the Rust Belt so it was pretty hard to preserve a car like that for a long time if you were using it as a commuter.
One of my scoutmaster's friends had a Vega dragster in 1980, but that was nothing. The guy renting the house across the street from us at the time had a Chevy stepside on 36" tyres and his daily driver was a Superbird.... apparently you could make a lot of money working on offshore oil wells.
Irish: This is becoming disturbing. This is the 3rd or 4th time recently that you've posted a YouTube vid that I had watched the day before. Starting to feel eyes over my shoulder. (...at least bring beer with you....)
The older motorcycles were definitely more interesting, as we use to create our own version of what we liked, not having a lot of money, gives your creative mind a mandate; what do you want? And how to get it done? The cars were awesome from the mid '60s to the late '70s. Autos and bikes have never recovered, I. E. beautiful cars from that era, are not possible in today's utilitarian society. And, now, a totaltateian society is dependant on "electricity?" Yeah, that's why Ford lost billions of $ and GM is almost bankrupt. So, what does this say: Any time the Federal government is involved in ANY private enterprise, it all goes to S--T. Bear in Indy
My first "car" was a Westcoaster Mailmaster mail truck. Look it up. It got me across town at 45 MPH and 35 MPG !! Kinda wild in the snow but it was FUN.
I had a 1949 Ford Wonder bread truck. We painted over the logo's. Same high speed 45 MPH 3 speed. Added a Bench seat in the back for date night. I drove it senior year then my brother painted it blue and drove it one more year. Great fun.
I seen a ton of small block Vegas. They never ran that good. They usually over carbed the hell out of them. A tunnel ram with duel quads seemed to be mandatory and that was just to much fuel. I never lost to one.
I still have the ‘69 Z28 that I bought for myself in 1985 for graduation. It’s a little rough but still worthy of rehabilitation. There’s been more than one gf that tried to say “it’s me or the car..!”. My response has always been…”nice knowing ya!” VC
I sold a numbers matching 69 with the original DZ302 2 years ago. Hugger Orange and White . Some guy followed me from work and offered me twice what I paid for it 2 years earlier. I'm casually looking for a rolling chassis now. Check out Detroit Speeds webb page for some super clean 69 Retro Mods they've done. Dale Jr owns one.
Had a '68 Camaro that was pretty good, but my '67 427 L88-engined Two-top Corvette was Da Bomb. Stock.
We used to have guys that would drop a big block in a Vega chassis without beefing up the frame, then wonder why the doors wouldn't shut after about 5 trips down the strip... I wonder why...
Late 60's, my cousin's boyfriend had an early Chevy2 with a heavily breathed on 427. Drove around on giant slicks, with the little vw size tires on the front. Helped him tow it to his garage one day, put a pan under the rear diff, and when the clatter stopped after removing the cover the housing was empty! I was told that it could jump over a couple of stacked soda cans when launched. Motion cars were the hot thing, but it seemed no one ran around with the oem markings in the Philly area.
I knew a guy that put a '62 Buick Fireball 198 CI V6 in his '71 Vega that was pretty fast. As I recall, he tore up a few stock Vega rear ends in spectacular fashion before going to a Ford 8" axle out of an old Mustang. I think after that he started going through transmissions...
ReplyDeleteAmazing! I never saw anything like that in Salem, Oregon in the 70's. Raced a Chevelle at the light in my Moms Ford Custom 500, and the Chevelle dumped the clutch, and I scooted away. Good old nights on the gut.
ReplyDeleteThis is what they took from us.
ReplyDeleteBut Phil, it's for The Greater Good. As Our Dear Leaders see it. We love Dear Leaders! Especially as they dance the Tyburn Jig...
DeleteIf only.
DeleteAnd I had to research the reference. Chilling but a looming remedy.
A wonderful time to be alive as am American white boy with durty fingernails. I had a 1970 Camaro SS 396 4 sp from 1973 to 1980. Wish I still had it.
ReplyDeleteOwned a Dodge 440 Super Bee.... 2 engines later (440/383) and a 1 Trans, I decided the 318 was the most dependable and least costly to replace. That car had room, date night backseat room ☺
ReplyDeleteMy first car was a '74 Satellite. I beat the crap out of it, but that 318 never failed me.
Delete-lg
I'm a bike guy really and while a classic bike might be cool the modern stuff is so much more enticing while still having character I'd never go back. Cars are different although the science is the same - newer is "better" but many seem sterile. For all that I'd still rather a newish one than oldie for a daily driver.
ReplyDeleteThese type of cars weren't designed for "daily drive", bud.
DeleteReally? I daily drove all my hot rods back in the seventies. Could only afford one car at a time
DeleteYeah, for a while my daily driver around '69-'70 was a '57 Chevy ragtop with a big block that could lift the front tires shifting 2nd gear. Gas mileage sucked, of course. Didn't look hot, but the idle that had the car rocking side to side gave it away. Parked it was a real sleeper. Once it fired, though, the competition had lots of excuses why they had to back out.
DeleteMy mother occasionally borrowed it for dating in my last year of high school!
My older brother always subscribed to Hot Rod magazine-like from about 14 years old until well into his 60s. One hot summer the mag ran a story about a Metropolitan with a 409 Chevy engine shoe horned into the small engine compartment; at the time the 409 was one of the largest displacement engines around. It was like trying to get an elephant into a wheel barrow, but the California guy behind the project knew how to do the radical surgery to the poor little Metro. Didn't see any reports on how the beast ran or handled but would guess on a hard stomp it would quickly go sideways and then start cartwheeling for the next 400 yards until there was nothing left larger than a grapefruit. That kind of set the stage for my love of cars, though I never did a build as crazy as that one.
ReplyDeleteLater and after his divorce big brother later had a Vega with the problematic aluminum engine and before it seized up it got pretty good gas mileage, especially since he was commuting about 50 miles one way to work. Then he got a Barracuda and enjoyed his commutes a lot more, though the ride was kind of stiff. That car had an iconic look that helped define the times. We lived in the Rust Belt so it was pretty hard to preserve a car like that for a long time if you were using it as a commuter.
One of my scoutmaster's friends had a Vega dragster in 1980, but that was nothing. The guy renting the house across the street from us at the time had a Chevy stepside on 36" tyres and his daily driver was a Superbird.... apparently you could make a lot of money working on offshore oil wells.
ReplyDeleteIrish: This is becoming disturbing.
ReplyDeleteThis is the 3rd or 4th time recently that you've posted a YouTube vid that I had watched the day before.
Starting to feel eyes over my shoulder.
(...at least bring beer with you....)
The older motorcycles were definitely more interesting, as we use to create our own version of what we liked, not having a lot of money, gives your creative mind a mandate; what do you want? And how to get it done?
ReplyDeleteThe cars were awesome from the mid '60s to the late '70s. Autos and bikes have never recovered, I. E. beautiful cars from that era, are not possible in today's utilitarian society. And, now, a totaltateian society is dependant on "electricity?"
Yeah, that's why Ford lost billions of $ and GM is almost bankrupt.
So, what does this say: Any time the Federal government is involved in ANY private enterprise, it all goes to S--T.
Bear in Indy
Sixty years from now, I doubt we will hear, “man, my first car was an electric Chevy volt. Sure do miss that car”
ReplyDeleteMy first "car" was a Westcoaster Mailmaster mail truck. Look it up. It got me across town at 45 MPH and 35 MPG !!
DeleteKinda wild in the snow but it was FUN.
I had a 1949 Ford Wonder bread truck. We painted over the logo's. Same high speed 45 MPH 3 speed. Added a Bench seat in the back for date night. I drove it senior year then my brother painted it blue and drove it one more year. Great fun.
DeleteI seen a ton of small block Vegas. They never ran that good. They usually over carbed the hell out of them. A tunnel ram with duel quads seemed to be mandatory and that was just to much fuel. I never lost to one.
ReplyDeleteI still have the ‘69 Z28 that I bought for myself in 1985 for graduation. It’s a little rough but still worthy of rehabilitation. There’s been more than one gf that tried to say “it’s me or the car..!”. My response has always been…”nice knowing ya!”
ReplyDeleteVC
I sold a numbers matching 69 with the original DZ302 2 years ago. Hugger Orange and White . Some guy followed me from work and offered me twice what I paid for it 2 years earlier. I'm casually looking for a rolling chassis now. Check out Detroit Speeds webb page for some super clean 69 Retro Mods they've done. Dale Jr owns one.
DeleteHad a '68 Camaro that was pretty good, but my '67 427 L88-engined Two-top Corvette was Da Bomb. Stock.
ReplyDeleteWe used to have guys that would drop a big block in a Vega chassis without beefing up the frame, then wonder why the doors wouldn't shut after about 5 trips down the strip... I wonder why...
Late 60's, my cousin's boyfriend had an early Chevy2 with a heavily breathed on 427. Drove around on giant slicks, with the little vw size tires on the front. Helped him tow it to his garage one day, put a pan under the rear diff, and when the clatter stopped after removing the cover the housing was empty!
ReplyDeleteI was told that it could jump over a couple of stacked soda cans when launched. Motion cars were the hot thing, but it seemed no one ran around with the oem markings in the Philly area.